My time at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad has been a wonderful journey for me. I went through series of experiences that has made me what I am today. My friends, teachers and everyone around me had an integral part in shaping my life. I joined the Academy back in 2012 and the residence experience was completely new for me. I was frightened by the fact that now I must live away from my parents at such an early stage. This could typically be a nightmare for some students, but for me it was incredible – reflecting on my time there only makes me want to go back and relive my life at the Academy residences. Getting up for school, all the students racing for the washrooms only to win the chance to take the bath first. Planning out sports schedule in lunch breaks just to play a good soccer game after school. All this has been fun and amazing, and it has taught us students a way of life.

The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad has been well known for years for their participation and success in soccer. Being an integral part of this team was a joyous and proud experience for me. I was selected for the team back in 2013 – at that time, our team had just started their dominance in the city while we were still preparing ourselves for other challenges at school. It was tough at first to balance sports and academics alongside other projects and activities; however, we slowly got acquainted with it. We used to plan out training times before and after school and commit ourselves to the sport. It helped me improve my punctuality and taught me a lot about time management. Soon after, I had the privilege of leading my U-16 team to the finals on home soil; unfortunately, we ended as runners-up, but the experience I gained while leading had brought some significant change in my behavior. I had grown a sense of responsibility and maturity – I had learned to be a leader. It did bring us trophies back to back for the next few years, but the true realisation for success came in 2016 when we got an opportunity to challenge teams at the national level. It was the first time a squad of eight students were sent for the TAISI tournament to represent the Academy. It was foremost the proudest moment of my life, standing alongside my teammates, ready to take up some of the best teams in India. Successfully, we won the tournament and brought the trophy back home, the first-ever away trophy that the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad has ever won. Achieving such feat has been overwhelming, but the values I have learned in this experience will remain within me and will shape my future.   

Along with sports, I completed various projects at the Academy. As part of our IB [International Baccalaureate] requirement, we had to complete personal projects and Extended Essays in order to pursue our interest in researching about various things through variety of subjects under experienced supervision. Not only did these projects let us gain experience in detailed researching, but it also helped create awareness in specific regions. These projects were bounded with criteria, ranging from personal interest to benefits in society and impact on environment. It made us think about the different aspects and potential effects of our projects, and in turn adopt a broader approach to our research. My project was about city planning and making solar energy the primary source of energy. I aimed to create a small model that gives a better representation of my idea about proper city planning. It was my first time working with wires and solar cells. I had to learn to make a solar plant model and integrate it in the main model. It really was great fun, and I learned the importance of city planning to reduce space wastage and save energy by using alternate renewable sources of energy. My Extended Essay was based on my favorite topic: healthy food. I conducted chemical experiments on food to check the alteration of protein content in food when cooked or uncooked and when hot or cold. My aim was to understand the effect of temperature on food. It went well and it answered some questions I personally had as well. I used dangerous chemicals and chemical equipment throughout my Extended Essay. I improved my personal skills in areas such as communications and built confidence in my ability to work individually. I learned more about society and gained a variety of knowledge on environment preservation.

During my time at the Academy, I have developed skills and values from certain experiences, but it was my participation in Model United Nations (MUN) that had a significant effect on me. I started participating in MUN to enhance my verbal skills and improve my knowledge about events happening around me. Over a period, I swiftly transited to the logistics group. I realized that my ability to manage and plan were beneficial to these events. I was given a chance to assist the Under-Secretary-General of Logistics and soon after I claimed the title for myself. Through this experience, I improved my management skills, developed various approach to different problems and mastered problem-solving skills as a result. I was given the opportunity to lead the Academy’s first ever METROMUN Conference, which allowed students from various schools to participate. The challenge of managing other students was very beneficial to me as it has boosted my confidence in my management skills. Once I had experienced managing MUN, I sought more knowledge and experience in this area – this helped me get into a co-op programme where I am currently working on certain projects and managing project teams to get the best results.

Over the period of time I spent at the Academy, I applied a common skill to all the initiatives in which I took part: strategic planning and creativity. Whether it was sports, projects or MUN, I was fond of innovation and had always been busy with creating something with whatever I had around me. When we plan our strategies for a soccer game, I loved coming up with interesting formations which sometimes didn’t make much sense. I would never give up trying to find a better one, sometimes I would modify the existing one or would come up with something new. Similarly, in MUN, I would plan to change the setting or come up with a different style of conducting the conference. I always looked for alternatives for the existing ideas to make them better or search for a new one to improve efficiency. All these made me realise that engineering is what suits me well and my interest in aerospace and machines brought me to continue my studies in Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Henceforth, with such knowledge, I can pursue my dream of developing my home town and making India prosperous in terms of knowledge and technology and to help His Highness achieve his vision of eliminating poverty.     

All this knowledge and these experiences have helped me get into the University of Waterloo. Studying at my dream university is a direct result of what I have accomplished through hard work, determination and focus. My friends and teachers at the Academy supported me throughout, and all the memories I have from there still teach me various things in life. The experience that I had in those five years at the Academy continues to develop me further and make me more capable of success. In my engagement with activities at the university, I have found that all the skills I learned at the Academy have prepared me to face the upcoming challenges.

When I look back to five years ago, I see a small kid, terrified and trying to surpass the ranks. However, now five years later, even though I am still trying to achieve my goals, I feel ambitious and determined, not scared but instead craving to prove myself. I have had a lot from the Academy and now I feel it is my time to give back to society to make this world a better place to live in.

By Ariq Kapadia

Throughout the course of her teaching journey, Adilia Cabral has valued the importance of inclusivity in creating an engaging and fruitful environment in the classroom. She shares details of her evolution during her time at Aga Khan Academy Maputo. 

For the Aga Khan Academy Maputo teacher, Adilia Denise Aly Guedes Evaristo Cabral, mutual trust between teachers and students, as well as between students themselves, is of paramount importance for a thriving classroom. It is a crucial factor for any successful learning experience. And how does Adilia ensure this flourishing environment persists in her classroom in Maputo, Mozambique? By supporting students and ensuring they support and respect each other.  

“I teach with love because I want to gain the trust and friendship of students. I am always available to listen to them and I want them to feel comfortable sharing their problems with me. I always try to look students in the eye and read their body language, because that's what dictates how I should react with a particular student that day,” she says, adding, “I also make sure there is a spirit of cooperation between students in the classroom.”

Listening to Adilia and the details of her background, education and experience, one feels she chose the perfect career for herself.

“When I was a young student in school, one of my aunts, who was an educator herself, told me that I should follow the teaching profession because she saw I had a passion for that calling. I am glad I listened to her. I love to teach and want to inspire and empower my students to excel in whatever they choose to do.”

Adilia was born in Mozambique in the province of Beira. She has a degree in French teaching from the Pedagogical University in Maputo, Mozambique. After graduating in 2004, she taught in private schools around the cities of Maputo and Matola. She joined the Academy in 2017 where she teaches French Language Acquisition and Portuguese Language and Literature. 

The Academy’s International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum is interwoven with the rich Aga Khan Curricular Strands of ethics, pluralism, economics for development, cultures, governance and civil society. These play a vital role in Adilia’s instruction as she incorporates them in her lessons.

“One way to ensure that in a pluralistic environment there is no discrimination or bullying is to make students respect each other regardless of colour, race or background. This is an aspect that is always reinforced within the Academy through the Aga Khan Academies' Learner Profile, in the classrooms and the way our units are designed.”

Making certain students respect each other and work together is important to Adilia. But so is independent learning. As she explains, “During my class, I prioritise teamwork, group work and peer work as well. All students must respect each other regardless of disagreements. As for training small leaders, the activities are designed so that each student takes action in the units. I always give students opportunities to become independent and look for solutions to overcome problems and obstacles. In my classes, each student contributes to the success of the group.”

Joining the Academy has been a transformative journey for Adilia. It has helped her in her personal and professional growth and has made it possible for her to become a more effective educator. 

“The Academy has made me a better instructor by giving me feedback on my teaching,” she states and adds, “also, the institution offers ongoing training courses to make teachers more effective and more successful.”

Reflecting on her time at the institution, Adilia says a day that was especially rewarding and memorable for her was the day she graduated from the Academy’s Teachers Preparation Programme (TPP).

“I felt special,” she recounts with pride. “I felt recognised for what I was doing and it made me aware of how important the training was and how important the teaching profession was. The Academy was placing great trust in me. And I had to work hard for not only for myself, but for my students and for my country. That day was the beginning and not the end of a long journey.”

One of the great African presidents, Julius Nyerere, once said that the point of education was to turn creatures of destiny into creators of destiny. As the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, I have passionately led a Talent Identification Programme for nearly ten years now. The programme identifies “creators of destiny”, students in Year 6 in Kenyan government schools, in deprived socio-economic and educational areas of Kenya, who are academically able and show leadership potential. This May, seven of these students have fulfilled part of their destiny, in graduating from the IB Diploma Programme. Six of these seven students have secured a path to their next destination in life, by gaining access to some of the best universities in the world, on full scholarships. The Academy has guided and nurtured the students to have the confidence to become “creators of destiny”. The vision of His Highness the Aga Khan is that these students, as well as other members of the 2018 graduating class, will go out and be creators of change in their own communities.

As a teacher, the idea of educating a child for profit has always repelled me. The Academy’s inclusive culture was one of the factors that appealed to me when I first applied for the post at the school, as was the opportunity to lead the Talent Identification Programme. (Coming from a very working class background myself, I know that my parents would never have afforded me the opportunity to gain access to a secondary or higher education, without the assistance of the state system in the United Kingdom). From the outset, I can honestly say that not all teachers were supportive of bringing these students into the school’s residential programme. I did have a picture in my mind of how successful this could be from my work at previous schools, but I must admit, I did have sleepless nights about the scale, severity and scope of it all. 

The assessment process in identifying these students has evolved and refined over the years. One very important aspect of innate leadership that is assessed is that of inferential thinking, the ability to make connections across different areas of knowledge. From this graduating cohort, I always remember one of the students exhibited exceptional ability in this area. Japheth Otieno, at the age of 11 then, referred to the inter-relation between governments causing difficulties in a problem solving activity when he mentioned, “Imagine that a Country A is helping Kenya with aid and money. Imagine that another Country B is an enemy of Kenya. Conflict may arise between Countries A and B, as there is suspicion over the reasons for this assistance to Kenya.” In the selection interviews, we look for students who are likely to question their world, have a keen sense of justice and morality, have good verbal communication skills and a sense of extra-curricular involvement. Japheth impressed me with his references to whether there was a multi-level universe or not and his passion for his kitchen garden, where he had initiated some preventative measures for protecting his plants. Japheth has now secured a place with the King-Morgridge Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin Madison in the United States.

I am delighted that this cohort sees the first student from the Ganze area, William Baya, graduating. I remember meeting William for the first time in 2011. At that time, the Kilifi County Governor reported widespread hunger in some parts of the county, especially for families living in the semi-arid areas. Learning in hundreds of primary schools in hunger-stricken parts of the country had been paralysed as the government dispatched emergency relief supplies. It was against this backdrop that we first met William, then a student at Vitengeni Primary School. William had already showed some leadership traits with him being involved as a scout commander and a school prefect. His school felt that he was a responsible and determined pupil. He mentioned about working hard in life so that he could target his goals – his motto at that time was “front ever, back never”. The self-drive William displays from adhering to this motto has guided him through the six years at the school and given him a full scholarship to attend Washington and Lee University in the United States. On learning of this, his father beaming with great pride said, “The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has transformed my boy and that I am looking forward to him to come back and work for the community to repay the Aga Khan's contribution.”

One unique aspect of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, is its double heritage of world-mindedness and its proud East African identity. Since the inception of the school in 2003, Swahili has been compulsory for all students up to 14 years of age. His Highness recognised the need for young leaders to be able to communicate in their national language with other members of their community. (It is interesting to note that other non-national schools have only recently introduced Swahili into the curriculum for all students after a recent government directive). The Academy is at the forefront of academic thinking and is always forward thinking. 

The development of the students in the school to “creators of destiny” is by no means left to chance. From this double heritage foundation, important concepts such as those of meritocracy, pluralism, ethics and other virtues and attributes that make up the students’ learner profile, have been integrated into all aspects of the curriculum. The students are allowed to run the risk, among other things, of failure because the privation of not succeeding can be an excellent teacher. Students are also given responsibility so that they can experience and learn from taking leadership roles. This is encouraged in every student. The students take charge in aspects of enrichment, academics and service, so that they are held accountable and answerable for their decisions, both when they get it right and when they fail.

Prudence Hainga after graduating this year will join the University of Edinburgh to study Political Science. Prudence reflected on what this scholarship meant to her and her community. “I want to realise my childhood dream of fighting injustice and corruption in Kenya. Having experienced and witnessed different levels of inequality in my country, I want to delve into a career path that will help me change what has become a detrimental routine in my country. The Kenyan political system is majorly defined by tribalism and inequality. Therefore, learning how political systems function and what others have done to ensure sustainable development as well as spread out opportunities for their citizens, will help me to decipher ways in which I could impact change in my country’s political system and rid Kenya of tribalism and greed. I am motivated to use my knowledge as a weapon against discrimination and inequality and work for a better Kenya – a Kenya that feels like home to all.”

These young men and women who have benefited from this progamme, did not have a great deal when they first came to the Academy, and their future was continually uncertain, with parents struggling to secure jobs, keep food on the table as well as educating their children. To see them grow and nurture and fulfil what was expected of them at this moment in time brings a lot of satisfaction. I have taught in many schools throughout the world, but there is something unique and special about this graduating class and other students at the school. The school recently had a visit from the representative from the International Baccalaureate Organization. On commenting on the school the one thing that stood out in my mind was his reference to the children here. He simply said that the children were “staggering”. These staggering students are helping to fulfil our mission for the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa that fits with building a better Kenya.

By Paul Davis

Alisha Sonawalla was part of AKA Hyderabad’s first graduating batch, the Class of 2014. Since then, she has accumulated an extraordinary set of experiences during a gap year and subsequently at university in New York City before joining Microsoft in Seattle this summer (2019). These experiences range from heading projects geared at exposing girls in rural India to coding and internet technologies, to designing English language development programmes in Tajikistan, and most recently, to spending summers in Silicon Valley working on self-driving cars. 

Alisha is currently working as a software engineer at Microsoft (Seattle) after pursuing a dual degree – B.S. in Computer Science (from NYU Courant) and B.S. in Management Science with a concentration in Data Science (from NYU Stern School of Business). She has received the Dean’s Honour Roll for securing a Grade Point Average in the top 10% of the class. Outside the classroom, she has dabbled in multiple projects including building her own robo news-reader, and experimenting with developing a secure cloud sharing service. 

“The Academy helped me become comfortable with making mistakes and encouraged me to focus on identifying solutions instead,” explains Alisha. “That, and my gap year experiences ignited in me a passion for tech and an entrepreneurial spirit, and ever since, I have been excited about building products to push the frontiers of technology forward.” 

Copyright - GM/HondaAlisha’s internships at university have provided her with unparalleled opportunities to deepen her technical knowledge. In 2017, she did an internship at IBM, where she worked with machine learning algorithms to develop a predictive model that would help IBM use unstructured data to forecast revenues for subsequent quarters. And then last summer, she engaged with cutting-edge technologies as a software engineer on General Motors and Honda’s joint autonomous car venture, Cruise Automation. “It was an exciting time to be in in the Mecca of tech,” she reminisces. “I led the development of a large-scale mapping service to deliver real-time, preemptive updates to the vehicle, allowing them to make more efficient routing decisions and enhanced ride safety. As one of the early engineers in the self-driving car space, it was amazing to have the opportunity to contribute towards the future of tech.”

Copyright - Agastya Int'l FoundationAlisha’s technological accomplishments of the past and plans for the future are marked by a social dimension. Her work with Agastya International Foundation, the world’s largest hands-on science program, took her to a small, rural village in Southern India, and involved designing a programme based on Google Bus and Raspberry Pi devices. The programme encouraged 900 students to combine scientific concepts with technology to find a solution to a local issue, such as soil contamination or crop infestation. “The girls’ newfound confidence became my motivation as I travelled across India and to Tajikistan conducting sessions for women on STEM opportunities,” shares Alisha. She was also one of 25 female engineers globally who was awarded the Goldman Sachs Grace Hopper Conference Scholarship to attend the Grace Hopper Conference, the largest conference for woman in tech. 

 

In 2013, while still at AKA Hyderabad, Alisha travelled across four remote villages of Gujarat to document the livelihood and survival strategies of a lost community, the Devipujaks. Her interviews and field research was compiled into one of the only ethnographic studies done on this marginalized group of people, and she presented her findings at the National Conference on Human Rights organised by the Central University of Gujarat and the Government of India. 

“I do see myself returning to India at some point,” Alisha states. “I see a lot of potential for innovation in bringing the next billion users online, and I want to be a part of this tech revolution. With a growing population, the lack of an educated workforce could create the biggest hindrance to economic prosperity and therefore it is essential to focus resources on education. Once the workforce is educated, it will be important to open up avenues of employment. Though we have seen smart phones and access to cheap internet become commonplace in India, there are still large pockets of the country that can benefit from access to better technology infrastructure. This would allow more home-grown startups to flourish, and enhance the ease of doing business in India for foreign companies for whom the 1.3 billion consumer base is extremely attractive." In the meantime, Alisha is joining Microsoft as a software engineer on their AI & Mixed Reality team.

Alisha credits AKA Hyderabad with helping refine her value system. “The Academy gave me the space to develop my moral compass by taking on leadership opportunities and experiencing ethical dilemmas first-hand. Being faced with these ethical decisions on a small scale helped me develop a moral compass that guides me through major decisions even today. Moreover, living in a shared space taught me to adapt to different situations, lifestyles and people, which made my transition to NYU, a new city and a different culture seamless.”  

Written by Kamini Menon